Crimes against elderly: Delhi tops list

June 16, 2009 14:27 IST

In some bad news for the elderly, the national capital tops a list of cities as far as crime against senior citizens is concerned. According to a study by HelpAge India, an organisation working for the welfare of senior citizens, Delhi has left cities like Mumbai and Bangalore far behind when it comes to crime against older people.

In Delhi, home to nearly a million senior citizens, crime against elderly people is four times more than in Mumbai and double than that of Bangalore, the NGO claimed quoting data from the police of the three cities.

The organisation said of the total cases of crime against elderlies registered in Delhi last year, the highest form of crime was hurting a senior (42.2 per cent) followed by murder and robbery which accounted to 35.5 and 13.3 per cent respectively.

The woes of seniors seem to be basically sourced from their own children and relatives with as much as 52 per cent of them facing harassment for property.

Nearly 50 per cent of perpetrators of such crimes are children and children-in-law, followed by neighbours and others (27 per cent), the survey said. Maximum number of property related torture cases have been recorded in South Delhi, known for its posh colonies and tony residential areas, while 20.8 per cent of such cases have been seen in central Delhi.

The survey found that while one out of eight elderly said "no one cares they exist", about 13 per cent of them feel "trapped" in their own homes. "Abuse of senior citizens often starts at one's own home. But fear of family shame, continuous harassment and dependency on the abuser prevents the issue from going out of the four walls," said Kapil Kaul of HelpAge India. He said such abuse also comes in various forms--physical, emotional psychological and financial.